Off day, live chat, Father's Day catch…

As a reminder, there’s a live chat today at 2 p.m. PT with Logan, De Jon and Tim Hallgren.

Also, a great write-up on Sons of Steve Garvey about the Father’s Day Catch for those who didn’t get a chance to make it out here. “Orel” is right, this is one of those events that can’t be ruined by a losing streak…if you haven’t had the chance to make it down here for this over the last five years, make sure you do soon. And while I appreciate the kudos, I can’t take credit for this event…there are a ton of hard-working people in the front office who put this together for the fans and they deserve it far more than me. In fact, I didn’t even make it down this year, as my daughter can’t quite throw yet.

Meanwhile, team travel manager Scott Akasaki checks in with a blog posting from Cincy on a well-deserved day off…

“The Basic Agreement calls for 162 regular season games in a period of 180 days. Simple mathematics tells us that there are not a lot of “off days” during the regular season. If there is an off day, it is usually spent traveling to the next city, like we did on April 3rd, April 17th, April 28th, May 12th, and June 9th. A home off day is truly special (and perhaps even sacred) while a road off day comes every now and again. I do not know about the other members of our traveling party but when I am at home, I try to use the off day and spend it with loved ones – I may even do home repairs and self maintenance stuff like regular doctor’s appointments or a visit to the dentist.

On the road, like we had here in Cincinnati, I took the chance to catch up (and get ahead) on some work, do some running, and go out for a nice dinner. I heard that other players and staff were going to use the off day to play golf or shop. Some probably went to catch a movie but no matter what everyone ended up doing, we all probably wanted to catch a break from the daily routine of our baseball lives. The baseball season is long and I am of the opinion that we all need a mental break from the game to recharge. While the rest of the world may have two days off every week, those who are with the team on a daily basis have 18 days off in 180 days. Let’s hope that our team had a good off day and that we follow up with some wins here in Cincinnati.”

451 Comments

I remember being at a game, (it might even have been an Opening Day) sitting in the Loge deck, wrapped around the left field foul pole. Steve Garvey was way early on one and crushed a line drive into the Field Boxes. I can still see this guy stand up, face the ball, and cup both hands right in front of his face, thinking he was going to catch it. That ball was screaming. It tore through his hands, bounced off his head and landed in the second deck. He was carried out by four people. I always wondered what happened to him. According to that article, he didn’t die. But I’ll bet he still has “Spalding” imprinted backwards on his head.

That Father’s Day Catch sounds wonderful. He’s right, it’s a special moment to be able to walk on the grass there. I’ve been lucky enough to do it a few times (Camera Days, Fireworks Nights) back in the day. It would be great to do it with my son, who will be 17 by the time the next Father’s Day rolls around.

Josh, take it from me, treasure every moment you can while your children are that young. It may not seem like it now, but that time goes very fast and before you know it, it’s gone. They change very quickly and while it’s exciting to watch them learn and grow, you miss them being little. Record moments, especially the sounds and words they make when they’ll little. My son couldn’t say “yellow” for a while. It came out “yeddow”. Now he’s bigger than me and beats me in arm wrestling and I love him something terrible, but I’d love to experience him latching onto my leg again.

god i hate this all star voting…there is now way that martin should be fifth. jason kendell??? are you serious…i guess batting 250 is an all star now. he is fourth. monlina, who is not batting 300 and only has 3 bombs is 3rd. then mccann, who i think should be the starter if not martin. then there is the lucky rookie soto, who has 60 k’s and is not hitting .300. this is rediculous..
martin should be the starter, and if not at least be an all-star…which he prolly will cuz even a last place team(which we might be by the break lol) needs a representative…and no one else comes close

I look for Martin to be selected by the manager to fill out the roster. Also, right now, he is really the only legitimate Dodger All-Star and they have to have a player from every team. Ferk was on track but we know that has been derailed.

Just looking at the record of Bavasi, who was just fired as the Mariners’ GM. Not all bad, if you consider he got Ichiro signed long term, and he got Bedard and Washburn, as well as Beltre and Sexon, even though Sexon has been good power, but terrible batting average. I can’t come up with any players being paid $18 million this year who are noticeably out of shape, hitting less than .200 and on the DL; nor any pitchers signed for $47 million (3 years) who haven’t won but two games in two years, and I think all of us would prefer to have Ichiro leading off as compared to Pierre for our team. Nor can I remember signings like Tomko, Loaiza or trades for the likes of Baez, Carter and many more forgettables. Yet the poor performance this year took its toll, and Bavasi if gone.

Have to agree jhall – Martin’s really our only all-star right now. I don’t like the fans stuffing the ballot boxes either. Go back to the players and coaches selecting the teams, and if you don’t have a legitimate all-star, your team’s not represented. I don’t care for the playing for home field advantage for the WS either. They’re making things too gimmicky anymore.

Having the fans select the All-Star starters is undoubtedly a good PR move, but seldom gets it right. I agree, especially when the winning league gets home field advantage in the Series, give it back to the players and coaches. It’s just too easy for teams to stuff the ballot box.

I went to a Dodger game in one of the first years of fan balloting. We were given cards to punch out holes in order to vote. I was given about 30 of them. I lined them up and discovered that Ron Cey’s name had already been punched out on all of them.

Time after time, our kids sit and wait to play ball.
We know Ned’s got no tools, by the deals that he’s made.
Whatever the price, he’ll pay, for Phew, Ned you fool.

Once, long ago, our players could hit and the team was so proud.
But since 88 they have changed, to our great dismay.
I long for the past, and dream of the days without you,
Ned the fool.

Sweet Dodger Blue, return to your glorious past.
Your not admired anymore.
Sweet Dodger Blue, the veterans are fading fast.
So play our young jewels, and fire Ned the fool.
You’ve conquered the World Series and more…..
Baseball Lore.

No more time to wait; Torre must evaluate no longer and must commit to a course of action.
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Over at http://www.truebluela.com they point out that LA already has to win significantly to make the playoffs, unless the D-Backs underperform. Here’s their lead paragraph:
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“The Dodgers enter today’s game with a 31-38 record, 5.5 games back of the Diamondbacks, and 10 back of the Cardinals for the wild card. If the Diamondbacks just play .500 ball the rest of the way, they’ll finish 83-79. If they play at their projected winning percentage of .537, they’ll go 86-76. If the Dodgers want to win 83 games this year, they’ll have to go 52-41, or play .560 ball the rest of the way. For the Dodgers to win 86 games, that jumps to 55-38, a .591 winning percentage. If the Dodgers are going to make the playoffs this year, they’re going to have to play like their one of the best teams in baseball starting tonight.”

With JoJo at the helm, I see our record more as 38-55 the rest of the way. I’ve just never seen anyone so steadfastedly embrace a worthless speedster and keep playing him in the same spot day after day regardless of performance or team record, then yank people out of the line-up after HRs or multiple hit games. Unless you’re deliberately trying not to score, it makes no sense. We all worried how badly JoJo would handle the pitching staff, and that’s the only thing he’s done fairly well at. No way could we have foreseen how badly he’d handle the regulars.

Good one Mr. Hall! LOL
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“But since 88 they have changed, to our great dismay.”
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And the brightest spot we had (Piazza and company) was ruined by Fox. I hold Chase Carey directly responsible and boycott DirecTV to this day because of it (he’s the CEO).

“I’ve just never seen anyone so steadfastedly embrace a worthless speedster and keep playing him in the same spot day after day regardless of performance or team record, then yank people out of the line-up after HRs or multiple hit games”

LOL. Unfortunately Scott. If they would have done the right things last year our kids would be further along right now. Ned has set us back at least 2 years in my opinion. We need to fire him now, dump the crap, and rebuild with the youth. I don’t want to waste another year or two.

jhall and westernmost – Fabulous songs!!!
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I am not a fan of the DH; the pitcher batting makes the game much more interesting, especially towards the end. It makes for more exciting baseball. Then again, with Sweeney as ours, it hasn’t been so exciting lately, but for most teams, it really becomes a crucial role in the National League.
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Quick story – I was at the AT&T store trying to figure out why my phone doesn’t have sound when I download videos (Dodger video, of course) and the reason for me not being able to post. Anyhow, I handed my phone to the guy helping me, forgetting there is a picture of Ethier on the homepage, plus a whole lot of dodger links. By his reaction I could tell he was a gnat fan and at one point he handed the phone back to me and said he couldn’t help me. After finding out I actually knew what I was talking about, we got into this discussion about our teams, and the first thing he says is “So, how is it going with Pierre? He seems like a nice dead weight on your team.” I about died from laughing so hard. I explained our blog and all the songs we are doing to show our disappointment with him and our management. Even though he was a gnat fan, he had great things to say about Vin Scully and I mentioned to him about our vet situation, wishing our vets would perform like Viscal and Rowand. I also told him the giants can have Coletti back too.

Omar Vizquel?? While he is and always was a slick-fielding SS, age has caught up to him at the plate; he is hitting like our replacement SSs: .184 .261 .214. Last year he hit: .246 .305 .316 (hitting 2nd almost as much as 8th), which is a lot like what JP is giving us in Furcal’s absence and we certainly are vocal about how awful that is.

westernmost, I was referring to their leadership on the team compared to our veterans who don’t seem to help the young players, only hinders them. Sorry, I wasn’t talking stats at the time, and I didn’t make that clear in my story. However, when we talked about JP it was about both, stats and leadership.

BTW, after his hot start, Angel CF Torii Hunter has cooled off. He’s now hitting the following for his 5yr/$90M:
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.268 .331 .455, 17 2B, 2 3B, 9 HR, 34 RBI – despite batting 4th or 5th for the team with the third best winning pct. in baseball!
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Compare “struggling” current Dodger CF Matt Kemp ($406,000):
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.297 .341 .441, 15, 2, 5, 39 RBI – in 25 less PAs, despite hitting 2, 6 or 7 for 55% of his PAs.
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Hunter is right around his career norms; Kemp is still learning to hit.

LOL!! so true, so true 🙂
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Knowing the way this season has been going with injuries, I hope the 15 day isn’t just a start to many more days ahead for Penny – that’s really too bad, but this board kind of knew all along, didn’t we?

I just noticed the line-up. Surprise, Surprise – guess who’s leading off? – UUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Just for one day Joe, give the fans a day off please without having to see Pierre in the line up. WE WANT TO SEE ETHIER, KEMP AND YOUNG OUT THERE, EVEN FOR ONE DAY – PLEASE JOE!!! 🙂
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That rant just got me thinking, maybe we are approaching this whole Pierre thing all wrong. Maybe we need to use reverse psychology and write all kinds of wonderful things about Pierre like the media is doing. Then maybe they will assume we actually like the way he plays and then get rid of him because if the fans like him, he must not be worth anything any more. Look how many good players we have let walk away in the past. The only thing wrong with that theory is I would have a very difficult time writing anything positive that he does on the field other than run. Okay, I feel better now – back to my song 🙂

There is a scene in Young Frankenstein where the townspeople are searching the woods. There’s no dialog. Just video of people walking through the forest. One of them walks right into a tree, bounces back, and keeps on going.

LMAO!!! LMAO!!! LMAO!!!
eric – you just crack me up – oh my goodness!!
LMAO!!! LMAO!!! LMAO!!!
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After a collision in the outfield between Pierre and Jones, Pierre is down for a few moments “the crowd is hoping, they are really hoping (15 day DL, 30 day DL or maybe the rest of the season), but no, he gets up and from the dugout you hear Torre shouting “He’s Alive!, He’s Alive!” (as only Gene Wilder could say) The crowd falls silent because they know tomorrow he will be back in the lineup at the lead off spot.

Bavasi is history, Willie is history. Those franchises were not satisfied with the performance of their clubs, and those changes had to be made. I guess the Dodgers are satisfied as long as Frank makes money and could care less about winning, otherwise Ned and or Torre would be history also. I don’t see any difference between Grady and Torre other than Torre was better PR.

Thanks nellie, I submitted about 9 other ones. That one at the end I felt a little insulted. Yeah, I really like Martin behind the plate too, but if May is as good as he looks with a cannon to boot, perhaps we can keep Russ with his speed for a while longer by letting him take off the Tools of Ignorance.

I thought they walked around that one too. Did they end up answering your question about Kershaw? I didn’t see the response. My sister-in-law called right in the middle and then I had a hard time tracking the responses. White had good things to say about Ethier – that seemed hopeful that maybe they are still looking out for our young players (at least White is).

Sounds like Kyle’s a keeper. Not bad 🙂 Now we will have Russell Martin’s name represented in a first name and a last name of draftees – Ethan Martin and Kyle Russell (sorry – I notice things like that – hazards of the job I think- lol)

As if we don’t have enough trouble internally, now an AL jackball is trying to force the perverted form of baseball played in the junior circuit on the NL.
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Here’s snippet from Lil’ Hanky Steinbrenner’s whinefest:
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“It’s time the National League joins the 21st century or is forced to join. The National League is playing the same way it did in the 1880s. That’s over with. The National League should have the designated hitter. There’s no question the National League should have it.”
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Dear Hank,
Go to a hot and fiery place!!
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Here’s a link: http://tinyurl.com/6o45en

MLK – I read the article. They want the National League to at least go to DH during interleague play, but couldn’t that problem be solved by not doing interleague play at all? leefink would be happy about that 🙂 Then during the world series, the AL pitchers will just have to suck it up and play like big boys. 🙂

Well it’s early on a Wednesday morning Down Under and I wake to find that we still have no better option than to continually start JP. That man is blessed. No other team in ML baseball wants him but in the Dodger organisation he’s irreplaceable. I might start a paper poll in front of the computer today to see how many times the commentators tell me just how good a bunter JP is when we all know that he isn’t. A good bunter changes where and when he bunts. Something poor JP hasn’t grasped yet. No doubt he will bunt and it will go 6ft in front of the plate and the catcher will throw him out ….. again. I know he’s not the sole reason we’re playing poorly but it would be nice to see if we can play better if he’s not in the lineup. I’d also like to win Lotto.

Yeah MLK, let’s play wienie ball like the junior circuit. The DH – great way to pervert the game by letting hanger’s on and guys that otherwise would never make it to the bigs make millions.

Did I mention I hate the DH??

Eric – I wonder who Kyle Russell will have blocking him? My guess – JP. We’re so fortunate to be able to have him as lead-off for the next three years as well assuming that Ferk isn’t resigned. It also leaves us next year with the same 4 outfielder crap or worse, dimwit gets talked out of Ethier or Kemp for a proven veteran shortstop on his way to pasture.

JP? No, I’m not bitter. I like seeing slappy pop-ups and weak groundouts to the right side night after night. Evidently JoJo does too.

Heck!! It’s got to be a pretty good feeling for all these National League pitchers right now, knowing that their American League counterparts are whining about having to actually bat.
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Not having the DH is what makes the NL so much more fun to watch.

What I try to do on Dodger off days is to get to bed earlier. Even on early night games like tonight I usually end up going to bed pretty late although not as late as during home & other games on the west coast that don’t start until 10:10 or later here in N.Y.
Of course during day games it’s almost the same as off days.
I usually miss the start and early innings of Sunday games that start around 4:00 PM ET.
The early 1:00 PM ET games they play on this end of the continent, unless it’s against the Mets I generally miss the entire game on Sundays. I just come home and check the box score for the results.

Well here we are-another game from Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park.
Let’s hope we’re not-just what the doctor ordered for the Reds and give Billingley some run support and break this 5 game losing streak.
LET’S GO YOU BUM’S IN BLUE!!!

not sure if anyone posted this.. but kuroda went back to los angeles for an MRI according to Tony Jackson’s blog. he said it doesn’t seem serious, but if they sent him for an MRI, it sounds concerning. although, it could just be precautionary, since they just lost penny.. things are just getting worse.. with the off-day, lowe and kershaw will be pulled up a day on regular rest.

oh, and hank’s an idiot. just because wang got injured doesn’t mean that everything should be changed. the world does not revolve around what you and the yankees want, hank. besides, the DH is the stupidest thing ever. i hate it. if the national league ever adopts the DH, i will cry. i hate american league baseball for a reason.

here’s the entire post from tony jackson for those who want to read it:

Another domino falls: Kuroda returns to L.A. for an MRI
By Tony Jackson on June 17, 2008 3:08 PM

This doesn’t sound like anything major, but he told Joe Torre today that he has shoulder discomfort and that he has had it for a while. Not sure why he is only now telling the manager, but that’s what happened. Derek Lowe will start in place of Kuroda tomorrow night, that will be on normal rest because of the off-day. Stults goes Thursday, Kershaw moves up to Friday. … The other bad news is that Torre acknowledged today that Rafael Furcal probably won’t be back before the All-Star break, which isn’t a huge development given that the week before the break was the earliest he could possibly return anyway. … There is SOME good news. Andruw Jones has been hitting at Dodger Stadium as part of his rehab, and from what I’m told, his swing looks better than it has all season. No longer dropping the elbow. Maybe the time away was just what he needed. No word yet on when he might start his minor-league rehab.

That would really not be good to lose Kuroda, and I am not to sure what to think about Andruw coming back either. I am not thinking this is a good thing either as TJ would seem to think. More outfield issues for sure – ugh!!!

Thanks for your input, rodmky. It’s amazing that you can be on the other side of the FRIGGIN’ WORLD and see more clearly than Joe Magoo.

Odds of injury from mowing the lawn: 3,623 to 1
Odds of getting a hole in one: 5,000 to 1
Odds of bowling a 300 game: 11,500 to 1
Odds of injury from fireworks: 19,556 to 1
Odds of drowning in a bathtub: 685,000 to 1
Odds of being killed on a 5-mile bus trip: 500,000,000 to 1
Odds of Joe Torre moving Juan Pierre out of the leadoff spot: undefinable. Kind of like dividing by zero. It can never, ever, ever happen.

enchanted – the man is truly blessed. Maybe it is all the days showing up at the ballpark at 6 in the morning. You kind of wonder what he is doing there so early – maybe communicating with his people not of this world. We have tossed around the fact that he may not be human – LOL!!
I’m sorry – the man drives me crazy!!! I can’t, for the life of me, understand what everyone sees in him – ugh!!!

Given Joe’s previous comments about JP’s “irreplaceable veteran skills” when Jones returns we will see Kemp and Ethier spend a lot of time on the bench but also using Joe’s logic Sweeney will still be our premier PH. I was less confused when Grady had the reins. As for Kuroda, given the past experiences of the FO telling nothing but the whole truth, he’s probably on his way to the DL with a major shoulder problem.

Sara, my sentiments exactly on Hank S. Hey Hank, we know it is not the 1920’s anymore because players no longer wear flannel and a batted ball that bounces into the stands is no longer a home run but a ground rule double. We also know it is not the 1920’s (or even the 60’s or 70’s) because starting pitchers rarely finish games and players are making a ton of money and are no longer the chattel of the owners, although you probably would like that one back. I might agree that the DL does seem to give the N.L. an advantage but tell that to most of the teams in the N.L. West who seem to have a lot of trouble beating their A.L. opponents in interleague play. Oh, by the way Hank, I don’t think there was interleague play in the old days in which you claim the N.L. still operates.

The only time the D.L. should be used is in Spring training and All Star Games regardless of the park.

LOL!!! jhall LOL!! I guess we will just have to keep writing songs about him and laughing about it. This management certainly isn’t using any sensible logic for their decisions. I feel like we are trapped in the movie Major League where the owner is trying to make the team lousy enough to move(not that they are moving), but they sure are doing a good job of making the team lousy right now.

New plan. Trade all our young guns to the Angels, then swap names and swap leagues. That way we get a manager and an owner who actually want to win and our young guys get to play. No more PVLs. No more Ned. And no more JoJo.

I don’t know what you posters really think but surely it is highly unlikely that the McCourt would make another change to the front Office. We’ve had so many changes in his tenure as owner but I think we’re stuck with Ned and Joe for the next few years. It’s been 20 years since our last WS ring and under this type of leadership it could be many years before we get our next one. Just an Aussies opinion.

rodmky is probably right in his assessment that McCourt will stick with Ned and Joe come what may. That’s because the Dodger record is of little consequence to McCourt as long as he can pile up the money and his franchise value and look forward to his real estate development around Dodger Stadium. As mush as Ned and Joe are the incompetents in this management, McCourt is a serious disservice to the idea of major league baseball itself.

That was a pretty good tribute to Ken Griffey JR. on his 600 HR.
I was a little suprised though that the name of Barry Bonds was left out while others were mentioned.
I personally feel that that was wrong, but I respect other peoples opinions.

PierreEW – you mentioned Barry Bonds earlier. I wasn’t surprised they didn’t mention him. AT&T park and the gnats organization have pretty much written him off too. I am not a Bonds fan by any means, but the way the gnats organization has treated him is not right, considering what he did for them.

So much for Pierre going 3 for 4, so JP getting to the ballpark at 6 in the morning was once again a waste. I realize this might come back to bite me in the behind later, but I am willing to take my chances that he will get one more hit at the most.
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perumike – too funny!!!

Is anybody listening to the KABC broadcast? They are talking about the AL pitchers and maybe they are not that good of athletes if they can’t run to first base without getting hurt – very funny!! I am watching extrainnings and listening to the radio.
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Did JP possibly get hurt again? probably not – damn!!

Glad to see we can still count on beating the Reds. Nice game by bills… it seems that Sammy is back on the beam instead of pitching like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates… the rationale in the early 70’s for the DH was to increase offense in the game in the aftermath of the Year of The Pitcher in 1968. That was the year that Yaz won the AL batting title with a .301 ba. and Gibson had a 1.22 era. (I may be off by a few digits) They lowered the pitching mound in ’69’ and brought in the DH in ’73’. Since the reasoning is no longer valid, I’d like to see the DH eliminated. Watching the Tigers’ inept fielding by their pitchers in the WS the year before last, Colon’s flailing away at the plate in the Sunday night game, and Wang getting hurt running the bases are good enough reasons for eliminating the DH…Speaking of Wang, the Yanks ought to be getting pretty desperate for a starter around the trading deadline, if they aren’t already. Maybe we can pry 2-3 blue chippers from them for DLowe?

We’d probably have to go down to the wire to make that deal. The Yanks are pretty reluctant to part with their kids, unlike their past history. They would’nt do it for Santana. We just have to make sure Logan White is in the room during the negotiations, so Ned doesn’t F##$ it up!!

The latest disaster movie by the famed auteur, Stan Conte, ” Someone Is Disabling the Los Angeles Dodgers Pitching Staff” coming soon to a theatre near you. Premiere will be at Dodgerland: The Theme Park. Thursday, July 3.

I have to agree that the PVLs did good tonight and they deserve the credit for a job well done.
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So, does that mean I can’t write them into my song since they had a good day? LOL!!! I really know not to ask that question because I know it won’t stop any of you, so I will continue with my plans. 🙂

dnelson: liked the comments you made awhile back about the D’s looking to the other California teams for inspiration on how to build a team. We need look no further than the California Angels of Anaheim. Somebody asked the question: Who stole the Dodgers? The Angels did. The Angels took lessons from us, stole Mike Sciosia, and then snuck into LA. In light of last weekend’s disaster in Detroit, it sure was galling watching the Angels on Sunday night baseball.

I took my starter out because he’s through
Before his golden arm could get tatooed
I lift up my arm and gave the magic sign
Said what we need is Sammy Saito in the ninth
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I said it would be better if we stopped the hits
Thought our lead was safe at five or six
I gave Sam the ball and said, “no pitchy from behind”
And all he said to me was, “dey no scorrie in de ninfe.”
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Marty went back behind the plate and gave me a wink
I said that’s great I hope tonight that Sammy don’t stink
Before too long I cried, “he’s got us here on the brink”
I held my nose, I closed my eyes, I need a drink
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I didn’t know if it was day or night
I started fivin’ everyone in sight
And when I high fived Sammy S. awearing Dodger Blue
He said it to me softly, “Sammy say Fu-Q!”
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(instrumental break)
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I held my nose, I closed my eyes, I need a drink
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I didn’t know if it was day or night
I started fivin’ everyone in sight
And when I high fived Sammy S. awearing Dodger Blue
He said it to me softly, “Sammy say Fu-Q!”

Sammy Saito in the ninth
Sammy Saito in the ninth
Sammy Saito in the ni-i-i-i-inth

seesky – I know what you mean – look at the A’s as well. A very young core of young players with leadership in their veterans. Oakland wasn’t expected to do anything this year. Everyone became instantly worried when they let go Kotsay and Swisher, but in listening to A’s fans now, they understand they are in the middle of a youth movement themselves. For whatever reason, this Dodger management team doesn’t see that vision, and obviously isn’t instilling that vision into our young players. They are being scared into making mistakes instead of being taught how to live with them and still be able to play the next day.
The media is not helping the situation either and I am assuming because the A’s are a smaller market team, we probably won’t be hearing stories from the struggling young players like they do in LA.

We’ll, even with the air conditioning on, I’d better give the electronics a rest – 106 here today and over 100 for about a week and a half, so I shut things down at night. Nite all. I may or mat not be broadcasting again tomorrow…

“Dancing in the streets” You can use the Martha and the Vandels version, but it also works with the David Bowie and Mic Jagger version if you rather invision those two.
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“Vets Need to Hit the Streets”
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Callin’ from around the world
We’re ready for a brand new team
Summer’s here and the time is right
Vets need to hit the streets
Send them to Chicago
Down in New Orleans (even though no team, they can enjoy the jambalaya)
Out in New York City
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All we need is Russell, Blake and Andre
There’ll be James and Matthew too
There’ll be swingin, catchin’ and always playin’
So, vets need to hit the streets
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It doesn’t matter what socks they wear
Just as long as they are there
So come on, Mr. Ned grab a vet
Send them out around the world
There’ll be dancin’
When vets finally hit the streets
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Vets need an invitation
Across the nation
A chance to let them be
There’ll be laughin and singin’ and even winnin’
And we’ll be dancin’ in the street
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Philadelphia, P.A.
Baltimore and DC now
Yeah don’t forget the Motor City
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All we need is Russell, Blake and Andre
There’ll be James and Matthew too
There’ll be swingin’, catchin’ and always playin’
So, vets need to hit the streets

dnelson: I think the larger media presence in LA intimidates our management. The “Hollywood” thing. Figuring the fans and the media are demanding a big splash signing, Ned panics when Drew leaves and signs Pierre in desperation. The A’s aren’t in a position where they have to make a lot of noise on the media stage. The “Moneyball” ethic in Oakland lowered expectations in that way by signing midlevel free agents and succeeding, for the most part. What the D’s need is management willing to make the best baseball decisions, i.e. staying with the kids and building from within and not worrying about the media.

So true seesky – just being at A’s games there is a big difference between a small market team and a large market team. The Angels are becoming that other big market team in so-cal so we really need our management to step up to their own plate so to speak and approach this trade deadline with patience and not to jump at the first pitch – how’s that for baseball analogy? Maybe they need to listen to their own advice with the young players and apply it to this upcoming trade deadline.

Thanks jhall – you guys are great teachers – lol!! I had Juan’s name all over it, but I took him out and made it general because he did have a good day even for Pierre. That doesn’t mean the next song won’t. I figure I can give him the night off, unlike Joe. LOL!!!

The dbacks’ averages have really taken a nose dive – upton at 244 was over 300 a month ago. Jackson is still over 300, but he’s the only one. Hudson is next with .292 and then it drops into the 260’s and below. All of our young kids are still mid 270’s and higher – we just need score runs and we should be fine – easier said than done, obviously – lol!

Extra! Extra! Read All About! Our Beloved Los Angeles Dodgers Snap Five Game Losing Skid By Defeating the Cincinnati Reds 3 To 1. Super Championship Pitcher Chad Billingsley shows World Series Championship Form With 9 Strikeouts in 6 1/3 Innings allowing only 1 Run! Super Relief Pitchers Joe Biemel, Jonathan Broxton and Takashi Saito had World Series Seriousness Stuff Today and are on a World Series Victory Mission! And of Course, The Incomparable,Invincible, Indestructable, Our Very Own, None Other, Than The Man of Steel, Superman Himself, Jeff Kent, Who always plays like its The Seventh Game Of The World Series, Comes through again for his Teammates with a much needed 3 for 4 at the plate, with an important Run Scored and RBI! All of our Los Angeles Dodgers Were Super Heroes! Let’s all keep Cheering And Believing In Our Wonderful Beloved Los Angeles Dodgers All The Way To The World Series Championship Victory in this Majestic Year of 2008 A.D.

ndeschenes ~ It’s always good to know somebody out there is thinking positive thoughts for this Beloved Dodger Team. We may make fun of them throughout the day, but all in all, we want them to be successful so we will all be able to say your last line and say it for real. Have a wonderful evening, and hopefully we will hear from you tomorrow with win number 2 in a row. 🙂

Eric also asked a question about Kershaw, but I don’t think it ever got answered. I was hoping it was in that one, but it wasn’t there either. It wouldn’t be so bad to have Logan White as GM. He seems to be very much involved in the youth movement still. The Ned/Joe duo hasn’t seemed to phase him yet.

I’ve been looking for jobs all day today (and into tonight) so I didn’t get my usual ITD fix. But I couldn’t let a day go by without saying some things.

Great to (1) see the Dodgers win and (2) actually have them move up in the standings while their two closest rivals behind them move back!!! Thx Le Tigres, Yanks and A’s for helping us out!!!

The DH rule should be abolished; I hate it!!!

Great songs today; yes, I’m still working on mine. I told you it would take me a while to do this 🙂

The way the Mets treated Randolph was just despicable. They could have fired him over the weekend and not make him take the trip to the west coast, just to beat the Angels and then get canned. That was just lousy…

FIRE STAN CONTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

These DL problems cannot be just a coincidence. Just to say again, FIRE STAN CONTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, good evening CP – We have been ranting and raving all day about those same topics, and you said all that in a few short statements. The way they treated Randolph is just horrible. As much as I want Ned gone, I hope our organization does a better job of doing it. I’m sure there will be some reprocussions from that act. It’s been all over the news, and everybody is upset about how it was handled. As for our own problems – injuries, just horrible to think we may be losing another pitcher – Kuroda, and there are bets that Penny will gone longer than 15 days seeing how Furcal came back so quickly like said over and over again.

cpompe1 – I can’t agree with you more about Conte. First, he ruins all our PVL position players. He must have tried with Pierre and gave up. Now Conte has moved on to ruining our pitching staff. First Penny, now Kuroda. Is Lowe next?
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About the DH – there’s a reason that the American League is known as the “junior circuit”. It’s because with the DH, amongst other reasons, these junior circuit teams play a watered down version of the National Pastime.

Well, it looks like everyone’s gone off to bed. I see that we finally got back in the win column. Been a while for sure. I hope we can get something going because losing can become easy to accept.

A few weeks ago, jhall and enchanted kicked out a couple of verses of American Pie. I decided to give the entire song a shot when I got back from the Scouts a couple of hours ago (right you are, nellie!). With apologies for hacking up a great American song:

American Pie (a Dodger fan’s lament)

A long, long time ago…
I can still remember
How the Dodgers used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And, maybe, they’d be happy for a while.

But March 19th made me shiver
With every paper I’d deliver.
Bad news on the doorstep;
I couldn’t take one more step.

I can’t remember if I prayed
When I read about this lousy trade,
But something touched me deep inside
The day the Dodgers died.

So bye-bye, Dodger Dogs on the grill.
Pete O’Malley sold my Dodgers,
What a harsh, bitter pill.
Now Rupert Murdock spreads his horrible will
Singin’, “this’ll be my team from now on.
This’ll be my team from now on.”

I pledged this team with my love,
I had Wally Moon’s name in my glove,
Tommy Davis on my bat.
I saw Sandy Koufax pitch
I heard Harvey Kuenn when he swung and missed,
And Vin and Jerry called it all so well.

Well, I drove to games all by myself
When no one else could go with, oh well.
The bleachers were so cheap
I could sit there when my pockets weren’t deep.

I was a lonely teenage broncin’ buck
With just the Dodgers to forget my luck
See, they were good at cov’rin’ the muck
Until the Dodgers died.

I started singin’,
“bye-bye, Dodgers won’t be the same.”
This new owner won’t care,
It’s a damned crying shame.
Them new know-nothings will bring us nothing but pain.
And singin’, “Maybe they won’t want to maintain.
Ownership they just won’t maintain.”

So for ten years, wait, no, for six more
We saw NewsCorp drag us ‘cross the floor,
And had to endure that Chase Carey.
Then that ******* traded number 31,
For the cancer Sheffield and some other bums
I thought, how much more could I endure?

Oh, and while Murdock was playin’ ‘round,
Our record still went down and down.
The Stadium still was filled;
It’s a miracle he wasn’t killed.
And while Scully stayed and healed our hearts,
They still hit home runs in the park,
And we kept searching in the dark
The day the Dodgers died.

We were singing,
“bye-bye, playoff wins up on high.”
The World Series is a mem’ry,
Way on up in the sky.
And Tommy’s tryin’ to keep his powder dry
And singin’, “Will they win before I die?
” Will they win before I die?”

Helter skelter in a summer swelter.
Iron Man was still fighting against The Melter.
We are still going nowhere fast.
Players still played on the grass.
In front of fans coming on en mass,
With an ever-and-ever-changing cast.

Now we all began to have some hope
We might just get rid of this dope.
He put us up for sale,
Please, our hopes are up. Don’t fail
But, on the other side of our country
One man said, “Yes, I vote for me
I want to, but I have no money.”
Again, the Dodgers died.

We started singing,
“bye-bye, World Champs and parades.”
We are never gonna make it
It’s a bad masquerade.
Them boys down south, they signed our Mike Scioscia
We’re singin’, “What on earth can happen next?
” What on earth can happen next?”

The Commish told Frank that he could have the team
Even if his money was just a dream.
At least he won’t give him no grief.
He swore he’d have lots of money left to spend
For the big time guys on which depend
Oct-o-ber vic-tor-ies.

Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage.
Am I the only one
Who can see right through this bum?
And as the losses climbed high into the night
And we lost games night after night,
I saw satan laughing with delight
Because the stands were filled.

He was singing,
“my, my, what a wonderful sight.”
We don’t have to win.
They come anyway every night.
Pay lots of money for teams that lose but they fight
And singin’, “I wonder just how long I can last?
“I better get a car, I’m not fast.”

I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news,
But she just smiled and turned away.
I went down to the sacred store
Where I bought my jersey years before,
But the man there said Podesta wouldn’t stay.

And in the streets: the children screamed,
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed.
For sure Paul De was fired,
Colletti, though, was hired.
And the three men I admire most:
Bill Buckner, Sandy, and our radio host,
They caught the last train for the coast
Again, the Dodgers died.

And they were singing,
“bye-bye, Dodger Stadium nights.”
We are leaving, if you’re staying
please just turn out the lights.
‘Cause it will not get no better now that Torre is here.
Singin’, “There’s no one as good as Pierre.
“There’s no one as good as Pierre.”

He was singing,
“my, my, look at all of this youth.”
I will play them if I have to,
and that is the truth,
Them good old boys will play, I’ll tell you no lie
Singin’, “right up ‘till the day that I die.”

dodgereric,
Oh my goodness, that song has got to go to the top of the list as being one of the greastest songs done on this entire board. I Remember jhall and enchanted doing a couple of verses back a while, but talk about a hard song to complete because it is so very long, and you did an outstanding job with it. By telling a story just like the original song does, it made it that much more fun to read/sing. Incredible job, eric – you deserve a standing ovation for that one. BRAVO!!!!****BRAVO!!!!****BRAVO!!!!****BRAVO!!!!****BRAVO!!!!****BRAVO!!!!****BRAVO!!!!****BRAVO!!!!****BRAVO!!!!****BRAVO!!!!
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blog you in the morning 🙂

“American Pie” and “Dodger Pie”, a classic then and now!!
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I’m with dodgereric on two of the three men I admire most — a little too young for Sandy. I initially typed that I’d take Gibson for my third, but I’m not so sure. A lot of good candidates: Manny Mota, Tommy, Fernando, Piazza, and currently all three of my namesakes.
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Just for the record, some of my other favorites who wouldn’t really be serious contenders for that 3-hole include Jimmy Wynn, Tommy John, Lee Lacy, the entire ’70s infield, to a lesser degree pretty much everybody from the ’70s (with the notable exception of our one HOFer from the era, Don Sutton, who I don’t dislike; he just doesn’t do anything special for me), Gagne (wait, cross him out. I’m forced to disown him re: roids), Raul Mondesi, Mickey Hatcher, Candy Maldonado, and one non-Dodger Jack Wilson.
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Final thoughts on this topic. I guess if I had to pick one guy I would have really enjoyed watching play as a Dodger on a regular basis, I would have to go with Ozzie Smith. Honorable mention to Andre Dawson whose knees and career were seriously diminished by the horrible AstroTurf in Montreal and would have been a much better player virtually anywhere else.
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It’s always a great day when ndeschenes brings us the news of another Dodgers victory with his upbeat summary of the game. Thanks, ndeschenes.
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I think I’m going to have an opportunity to see the Sacramento River Cats play (v. Nashville Sounds) on July 31. Anybody ever been to Raley Field? Any tips? How can I get a discount on tickets? They’re pretty expensive for a Triple-A Team.
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For those who’ve heard enough from me for one day, you’re in luck. For those who might miss my presence, sorry folks, I gotta focus on that SOB they call the bar exam.

It’s always good to hear from you MLK :0
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As for Raley Field – great place to see a ball game – one of the best minor league parks in the country I’m told. I went a few times back when it first opened. I believe jnv has been there most recently, so if I see him post sometime today, I will tell him you were asking.
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Good luck with your studying. Have had many friends take it so I can only imagine what kind of hours you are putting in.
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Have a wonderful day 🙂

Good Morning Dodger Blue Fans!!
It’s morning music time!!
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This morning’s song : “One of these Nights”
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Original song: “One of These Nights” by the Eagles
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Sorry – JP got the night off from being in one of my songs, but today is a new day, and he once again he will be in the lineup as the lead off hitter, unless by some miracle.
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One of these nights
One of these Dodger Blue nights
We’re gonna find out
Pierre’s mama
What turns out his lights
His average is falling
His stealing is high
But the crowd still hallers
and moans
.
Joe has been dreamin’
He has on blinders
Juan can’t do this alone
.
Oo, everyone is kind to him
Even the reporters and the like
Oo, Writers are blind to him
Swear they kind of love him
Every night
.
One of our dreams
One of our lost and only dreams
We’re gonna find Juan
No longer on the team
.
We’ve been searching for the reason
Why Torre himself
Has been playing only Juan every night
We’ve been hoping for a player who’s
a little of both
Who can hit the ball and score everytime
.
Oo, everyone is kind to him
even reporters and the like
Oo, writers are blind to him
Swear they kind of love him
every night
.
****Joe Walsh playing guitar****
.
One of these nights
In between the dark and the light
Torre might be kind to them
And swear he’s gonna play them now
The boys that are better than him
One of these nights
One of these nights
We hope for it
We hope for it
One of these nights
Torre might be kind to them
Swears he’s going to play them now
One of these nights

I still say Pierre’s a pod person. Every morning he wakes up and its another clone, but slightly less capable than the one before. If he gets to the ballpark between 6 & 9 everyday, and not get to sleep before 2:00 every morning after a night game, shouldn’t he be tired? How come the kids need a rest and JP never does? Does not his game suffer from fatigue (among other things.) I don’t get it.

You would think, wouldn’t you? It really hasn’t helped him in any aspect of his game other than work ethic. I admire him for that, but he is not getting paid to have a wonderful work ethic; he’ getting paid to hit, catch and throw the ball.
right?

Good morning to all, I have been away and have not posted in a while. Great songs! It is nice to get a win, Billz stepped and showed he is the ace of the staff.

Penny, in a way I admire his desire to pitch, but on the other hand if your freaking shoulder hurts and it prevents you from being effective, do not be selfish and hurt the team. It is obvious from his performance over the last 45 days something has not been right. But I guess our superhuman trainer Conte could not see it. Hell, he could not tell Schmidt was done either and he watched him pitch for several years. Nice hire Ned. Changing the training staff with 20+ years, 17 years and 11 years experience with the Dodgers (stan johnston, matt wilson and my good friend jason Mahnke) has really been a huge success.

Kuroda hopefully just needs to miss a start or 2. If it is anymore insert Kuo…do not subject Chan Ho to long outings. Other than Sunday he has been effective in 1-2 innings. His shoulder may also be an issue. Kuo is the most logical with Jonathan Meloan in reserve.

Hopefully Lowe can follow the kid and put in a strong performance. If anything Cincy batting Patterson 1st makes Pierre look like Ricky Henderson in the leadoff position. Probably the 2 worst leadoff hitters in baseball will be showcased again today.

Laroche, has anyone seen him, I think I saw him on a milk carton. he hits a HR in his 1st start and then becomes invisible. The surgeon general just announced the following…..DY, Ethier, laroche you guys should not produce when given the opportunity it can be harmful to your playing time.

Song – “In the Air Sometime”
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Original Song: “In the Air Tonight” – Phil Collins
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To our hopes and dreams – this one wrote itself 🙂
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We can feel it coming in the air sometime, Ned fired
We’ve been waiting for this moment a long long time,
Ned fired
Can you feel it coming in the air sometime, Ned fired
.
Well, if you told us you were leaving
We would not lend a hand
We’ve seen your face before my friend
And we don’t know if you know who we are
Well, we were there and we saw what you did
We saw it with our own two eyes
So, you can wipe off the grin, we know what you’ve done
It’s all been a pack of lies
.
And we can feel it coming in the air sometime
And we can feel it coming in the air sometime, Ned fired
We’ve been waiting for the moment for a long, long time, Ned fired
We can feel it in the air sometime, Ned fired, Ned fired
And we’ve been waiting for this moment for a long, long time, Ned fired, Ned fired
.
Well we remember, we remember don’t worry
How could we ever forget, the first time, Juan,
The last time, Druw
But we know the reason why you keep your silence up, no you don’t fool us
The hurt does show, and the pain still grows
It’s no wonder to you or us
.
We can feel in the air sometime, Ned fired

Thanks nellie, north & E. BTW, the censored word was ba$tard. By the time I got to the end I was so tired that I shut down without looking it over. I should have known that word wouldn’t make it. The Iron Man reference was for my friend jhall. Enchanted, nellie is correct. You started this music thing and the way you and jhall ran wild with it was very inspirational.

Thanks Eric. I prefer to think of it as therapy. Otherwise we’d all need psychoanalysis for the way this team is run and field managed, and that could take months, maybe even years and thousands of dollars.

dodgereric – still very impressed by that song – It is one of my all time favorite songs, and how you managed to make it into a story about the Dodgers was absolutely fabulous!! It really ranks way up there with Enchanted’s Bohemian Rhapsody in my book. 🙂

thanks enchanted, I heard the song first thing this morning after posting the eagles one and once I saw the lyrics, it really did write itself – I didn’t have to change many of the words in the song, and Ned’s name was all over it (could have applied to Conte, too and all our lies about injuries)

Eric, what can I say. OUT-FREAKING-STANDING!!™. What an effort. 2 hours, that’s amazing. We had an idea you would pop up late last night with something. Love the Iron Man reference. LOL. Nelly, also outstanding. You’ve become quite the song writer/twister and inspiration yourself.
Dodgerboy, I’m with you on Conte and our medical staff. Absolute travesty. Firing our former staff and bringing in that bunch of butchers was/is just more Ned incompetence.

Song: Vets are Dust in the Wind
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Original song: “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas
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Can you tell vacation has actually kicked in? LOL!!!
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We close our eyes
Only for the moment
And our vets are gone
All our dreams
Pass before our eyes
with curiosity
.
Dust in the wind
All our vets are dust in the wind
.
Same old Joe
Just sends in the vets
What an endless scene
All fans say
Who we want around
though they refuse to see
.
(Aa aa aa)
.
Dust in the wind
All our vets are dust in the wind
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solo violin piece
.
Ned don’t hang on
To the vets forever and
Let youth reach the sky
It’ll slip away
And all your money
won’t another player buy
.
Dust in the wind
All the vets are dust in the wind
(All the vets are dust in the wind)
.
Dust in the wind
(Veterans are dust in the wind)
Veterans are dust in the wind
(In the wind)
.
(ooo)
(ooo)
(ooo)

oh, and I wonder how Kuroda will fare. Know that Stan Conte is “in charge” (and I use those words very loosely) of medical issues, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kuroda on the DL. Sad state of affairs… 😦

The amazing song streak continues to roll. One hopes the Dodgers can start a similarly long and quality winning streak with yesterday’s victory.
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D. Lowe starting tonight on normal rest, thanks to the off-day Monday. Kuroda is pushed back and penciled in for Saturday, but if his MRI today doesn’t turn out well, they’ll need someone else, and if Kuroda won’t be ready, Joe will have to admit that he better have Kuo ready for that start, meaning he shouldn’t be available starting tonight.

good morning cp and westernmost!
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westernmost – who knows what this management team is doing in any aspect these days other than messing it all up in every which way possible.
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CP – glad to see you are still working on your song – take your time. I just happen to be on vacation and can’t go into the classroom so I have a lot of time on my hands right now. So, in between song writing, I am trying to do the normal around the house things – spring/summer cleaning and such. 🙂

But you know what dnel, I think I’m pissing my husband off right now because I’m home all day (since I’m unemployed) but I don’t get much cleaning done around the house and don’t always know what to have for dinner, even though I have more time to think about it. I won’t leave ITD; I love the camaraderie too much but I do see myself slowing down a bit. Sometimes I just put my heart and soul into something to the exclusion of all else. But don’t worry, I will post a song at some point!!! 🙂

LOL!!!! CP – my husband will come home after working all day and still see me here, and wonder what the h*ll I did all day, and he knows the answer all too well now. I clean for 10-15 minutes, come and check blog or work on song, read my book a little bit (yes, I do read real books too- not just articles), work on a Sudoku puzzle and I have two different radios on playing with two different stations so if a song comes on that I can write a song to, I write it down for later. In short, I’m not getting a whole lot down in the cleaning or cooking department either, but when I do 10-15 minutes at a time, it appears I have actually done more than sitting here all day long. I do have two teenagers in the house too so that adds to the mix too. I think we are finding out we are too much alike. LOL!!! 🙂

Sara, that is so funny. I was watching the game on local cable station and during the 8th inning I think, they paused and said there was a disturbance in the seats down the right field line and that a fan was being unruly and was getting ejected. They said they would not show it as it was unfortunate. I’ll bet that was freaking Troy. Holy Cow!!!

Too funny Nelly!!! Hey, just want to say that you gals really make this blog much better and more fun. Nelly, Sara, CP, Emma, etc….., you are great. Love your slant on things as you are all very ardent and knowledgeble Dodger as well as baseball fans. Thanks!!!!

i’m sure that was about troy. because they said he was taken out for disorderly conduct (ie. fighting) and resisting arrest. tony jackson said it was funny, because after the game, the arrest report was already taped to beimel’s locker. they are so quick with things! i wonder if troy requested that the cops give his arrest report to beimel.. haha

thx jhall… My husband and I don’t disagree on a lot; many times we have baseball conversations that are right on the button the same. But I am married to a DH loving man (yech!!!) No, I love my husband but he came walking into the house the other day saying the exact same thing that Hank said. I love my husband, but he’s just wrong. I don’t think I’ll ever get him on my side. I think he’s an Angel fan just to needle me when his CF free agent and our CF free agent are miles apart right now!!! He always has had his favorite NL and AL teams. For the NL, it’s always been the Cubbys but he told me that when he was young, his AL team were the Orioles. They aren’t now; not since someone (I don’t know who, but I’m sure someone here can tell me) bought the team.

jhall, especially when we start talking about the cuties, socks up or down, and shaved/unshaven. LOL!!
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BTW sara and CP, the scruffy look is back on all of them. I noticed James (out of the young ones) is the only one with socks still showing – LOL!!! 🙂

dnelson, i’m not gonna lie, i was diappointed that russell let himself get scruffy again =*(

here’s a funny write up about the troy situation from the press enterprise:

Beimel Fan Arrested

Taped to Joe Beimel’s locker after the game was a copy of the police report detailing the actions of the reliever’s biggest fan, who got himself into trouble at Great American Ball Park.

Troy Sexton, a West Virginia man who has gained cult prominence for his numerous Beimel tribute videos on YouTube, was arrested before the start of the eighth inning and charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest — actions that resulted in the game being delayed.

Sexton engaged in a physical altercation and refused to stop fighting when asked, according to the report. His arrest came after Beimel recorded two groundouts to help the Dodgers escaped a seventh-inning jam.

Beimel has met Sexton and even appeared in a YouTube video responding to the man, but asked if he might have the money to post bond, the left-hander smiled and said, “I have it. He’s not getting it.”

this Troy/Joe thing, I never knew. I guess I’m too old for YouTube. I don’t see it much. But Sara, that is an interesting write up about the situation. I loved what Joe had to say at the end, “I have it. He’s not getting it.”

sara – with Andre, I like both looks only if the scruffy look doesn’t go too long. I think when he is on the road, it tends to get scruffier than usual. 🙂 Then again, I’m all for anything that will help him get his hits, and that goes for any of our young players. Andre’s been in quite a slump lately. It’s mostly due to being unlucky; he’s making contact just not getting to the spots where the defense isn’t, and then that shot last night in the 9th that was snagged just hurt (I felt his frustration on that one). Then again, he almost got beamed during that at bat too – man that would have hurt. I have quite a few pictures of Andre and Russell together. The best one is when Andre hit that walk off single to win against (the team just left my head), and Andre literally jumps into Russell’s arms – it was priceless.

enchanted, my husband is a wonderful cook so if your wife is letting you cook, then you must be pretty damn good. Also, my husband does his own laundry too, along with my kids. I refuse to do my sons socks!! However, I am charge of cooking too, and I have pet patrol, and that’s a job in itself with 3 dogs and 4 cats.

since we’re talking about the cute boys.. i don’t know if you guys noticed, but one of the auction items for this weekend’s hollywood stars game was to be an honorary coach for either russell or james (they are coaching each team). needless to say, i was all about bidding to be the honorary coach for russell’s team.. but i can’t believe how expensive it got! you have to bid for 4 tickets (baseline box seats), and the bidding started at $100 per ticket. the final bid for russell’s team was $640 per ticket. too rich for my blood.. haha.. but i already had great seats to the game so i’ll be trying to get as close as possible anyway =)

sara – I thought about the auction and then saw how the prices were so high so I took the money I would’ve been willing to spend and got some behind-home-plate seats (just above dugout club) for the Dodgers/Braves series. Can’t wait to go!!

From a dodgers.com forum, from someone who said he was there:
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Yep – I witnessed the entire UGLY incident first hand. Seems Troy got there right about the same time as I did and had his first beer in hand at around 5:15 p.m. Who knows how many he had between then and the seventh inning when this all went down. He had on his full “Beimel” gear and the same crazy Elvis sideburns as his YouTube video.
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Shortly after Joey B. came in and slammed the door on the local Redlegs, Troy took off his jersey and began holding it up above his head to antagonize the local fans. That was slightly amusing, but then he did a GREAT dishonour to those of us Blue fans who were there ONLY to cheer on the boys from L.A. by proceeding to double-barrel (both hands raised) flip off his entire section.
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This was greeted with substantial boos, including my entire row, which was all L.A. fans. A Reds fan in his section attempted to get him to stop (after all, there were a lot of kids there at the game and in that section for Ken Griffey, Jr. night) by trying to hold his arms down, but Troy wasn’t having any of that and proceeded to push this guy, who was substantially older and probably 100 pounds lighter down the steps of the aisle.
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At this point, Cincinnati’s finest got involved and Troy did not go quietly, fighting three or four of them all the way up the stairs. The fans were chanting, “TAZE HIM, TAZE HIM” and he’s pretty lucky the cops didn’t.
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I have to agree with dw – this guy is a REAL TOOL. I certainly hope his admittance tomorrow is denied and they put him on the first chicken bus back to West Virginia.

Hey everyone,
I haven’t posted in a while just because I couldn’t bear to talk about what has been going on and on and on and on!!! LOL
MLK- Raley Field is the best AAA park you will ever go to hands down. It has the feel of a major league park without the huge crowds. If you go on Friday nights I believe they still have $1 hot dogs and $1 sundae’s !!!! If you sit on the 3rd base side you get a view of the I street bridge that is all lit up at night and kind of cool and behind home plate you get a great view.
Parking is a little confusing as most of the streets in downtown sacramento are one way. If you want more info please send me an e-mail, Heck I might be going to the same game.
Jim

Hey, jnv – thanks for reading MLK’s question. I knew you would have the answers he was looking for. I have got to get up there for a game. I haven’t been since they opened. We were a little closer than – Modesto. It’s just as easy to get to the Colesium (time wise anyway), so we are seeing the A’s/gnats game at the end of June. We will have to get up there though. We are thinking about having my son go to a baseball camp at Sac State so that might provide us with an opportunity to go to a game or two.

DNEL, Let me know if you come up here, I can never pass up a baseball game, My wife loves going to the games as well, it’s never a hard sell!!! LOL I usually say lets go to a game and she is on the internet looking for seats.

dodgereric – LOL. I see from the recap that defensively Nomar did not handle any grounders at SS, made one putout on a CS, and was replaced to start the 5th. Wonder why he didn’t play longer, esp. to try and get some fielding chances.

sounds like us, jnv – but it’s been highschool and college games. I think it’s great that Fresno State’s in the CWS. I was going to pull for them or ASU to take the whole thing. I am pulling for Stanford too now that they are in. I will let you know about the game. I believe the camp is sometime in Mid-July.

jnv – what would be really cool is if Stanford and Fresno play each other (which can happen) for the title. How would that be having two Nor-Cal teams in the finals for the CWS. Stanford seems to be having the harder road so far, though

My brother-in-law went to USC back in the early 80’s and we knew a few football players that went there. My husband wears USC stuff all the time. He tends to follow them more than his pro team (which changes yearly in some cases). However, my dad coached a UCLA basketball player back when he was in high school (late 80’s) so we do pay attention to them as well. I will root for any California team of any sport that makes it to a national titled tournament, hence Fresno and Stanford in the CWS.

Hey, hey – I never said I didn’t like UCLA, it probably would depend on the sport. UCLA’s women’s water polo team kicked butt this year, and of course, the men didn’t do too bad in the final four either. USC kind of has the market on football for this family. Other sports, if UCLA is playing and they are not playing USC, then we will cheer them on.

I had a roommate years ago that was a Trojan alum and he was a pain in my A*&!! He even named his dog Traveler!! (or however you spell it) I never went to school there but I used to do a lot of work there when I was a pipe fitter back in the day and I had 3 cousins gradutate from UCLA and one from USC!! He was the black sheep of the family!! HAHA

JD definitely didn’t suck with the Dodgers but its safe to say that he underachieved. Drew has always had as much talent as anybody, but he never developed into the player I thought/hoped he would. I guess it turned out to be doubly bad because when he left Ned panicked and signed Pierre…

First of all, how in the world is Jason Kendall ahead of Russell Martin? Seriously, wasn’t Kendall just traded to the Cubs last season during the middle of the season? And now, he’s on the Brewers!!! Hell, this guy is batting last in the order (even if Ned Yost bats Kendall 9th that still speaks words to how bad of a hitter he is)!!

swood – How does one “underacheive” when putting up a .400 OBP and a .500 Slg%? Drew also drove in 100 runs in the full year. After leaving LA, he had an “off year” (mostly power-wise) with the Sox (.270 .373 .423, GS HR in the WS) and this year so far (.315 .424 .576). We’d kill to have a Dodger underacheiving and not developing like that.
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You know who hated Drew? Plaschke and Simers. And Ned.

I’m so happy the Yankees shitted on the ******* Padres last night. What the ****? Randy Wolf how in ******* hell do you give up 2 that is ******* right people, 2 ******* home runs to some fatshit who used to use steroids called ************* Jason Giambi? Seriously? Haha, you ******* suck Padres. Randy Wolf, you can lick my left stinky nut, seriously. You blow a cock.

Sara,
I am glad to see you take it in stride about the UCLA and USC debate. I am sure you get a lot of flack from your cousins and whoever else went there. It’s not always easy going against the grain like that. 🙂
I’ll let it all slide because you love the Dodgers and that is more important than what college you went to!! LOL

westernmost
jd drew did suck. all the money we were playing him and he hit only 20 bombs and batted only 280 in his 1 full year, after hitting 31 bombs and hitting over 300 in his one year with the braves. and his did not have a 500 slg and 400 obp, just under that. plus he was always hurt like a little bitch….still to this day him and jeff kent are the two players that i hate the most in baseball

It isn’t that often on Dodgers road trips that I stay at the team hotel, but I usually do here because there aren’t that many choices, and the Westin Cincinnati is probably the best hotel in town. Well, this morning at about 11:15, I was lacing up my shoes in ancticipation of heading out when the fire alarm went off. Like I usually do with fire alarms, I ignored it, although I realized it meant I was probably going to have to walk down 13 flights of stairs to get out. Well, then they came onto the intercom and said, “Please evacuate the building, this is NOT a drill.” So I entered the stairwell, immediately ran into Mike Noto, the radio engineer for the Dodgers’ Spanish-language radio broadcasts who was coming down from the 14th floor, and we proceeded to walk all the way down to the street, where there already were about five fire trucks blocking the street, with hose lines laid. Immediately ran into several Dodgers personnel, some of whom (I won’t name names) admitted that they had still been sleeping when the alarm went off. After about 20 minutes, we were allowed back in. We never really did find out where the fire was. Not sure exactly what the point of this story is, except that I don’t have any news on anything yet, and I figured I should post something before heading to the clubhouse.

sara – I think the political correctiveness is an occupational hazard in some respects because I automatically see two sides to most stories. I answer questions about Santa, the tooth fairy, the Easter Bunny and God to 6 and 7 year olds, without bringing out my own viewpoints – lol!!
****However, it is happening less and less lately with the decisions our Dodger management is making right now. I have no doubts that Pierre needs to be gone in some way, shape or form, and I have now doubts that if he isn’t either Matt or Andre will be the sacrafice when Andruw comes back because after what I have seen since Furcal has been gone, Pierre will play out the rest of the season unless Pierre takes Pierre out of the game, and we know how easily that will happen. I know now, Joe won’t be the one to do it. 🙂

As far as the college stuff – I went to Sac State and they are an up and coming division I school (used to be Div II when I attened in 86) so watch out!!! (jk) seriously, the hornets beat both Fresno State and Stanford in baseball this season so I can see them getting to Omaha some day. They also have a great volleyball, softball and rowing team. I just tend to stick to Pac 10 teams because my school was never known for it’s sports until recently. That’s how I became kind of attached to ASU (before Andre days)was because of their baseball team.

The Arizona Diamondbacks went 20-8, opening up a 5 1/2-game lead in the division. The Diamondbacks are 17-26 since (heading into Wednesday’s game), and their lead has dwindled all the way to … 4 1/2 games.”

joe: kemp, ethier, loney! you guys are sleeping until noon?? what are you guys, 12? juan’s been at the park for 5 hours! and you wonder why he plays everyday. i don’t care about your results or stats! juan makes me proud! he knows what it takes to be a major leaguer.. hardwork and butt-kissing..

This is a LONG post on firenedcollettinow.com, but I thought it was interesting, and I didn’t want to shorten it.. read if you care

Temper Your Expectations: The Dodgers Barely Have A 34 Million Dollar Roster

With Hiroki Kuroda now hurt, the Dodgers have a participating payroll of 34.2 million dollars. The amount the Dodgers are paying players this year tops 118 million, but 84.4 million of it is being spent on guys currently hurt or playing for other teams.

First, let’s just clarify the salary situation.

2008 Total Payroll-118.6 Million
Esteban Loaiza-7 Million (To Play On The White Sox)
Rudy Seanez-0.1 Million (To Play On Phillies)
Andruw Jones-18.1 Million
Jason Schmidt-15.7 Million
Rafael Furcal-13 Million
Hiroki Kuroda-11.8 Million
Nomar Garciaparra-9.3 Million
Brad Penny-8.5 Million
Gary Bennett-0.9 Million
Current Total Dead Weight-84.4 Million
Current Total Payroll-34.2 Million

The good news? Most of those players have sucked this year anyway. The bad news? Most of the remaining salary is used on players who also suck.

Current Total Payroll-34.2 Million
Jeff Kent-9 Million
Juan Pierre-8.8 Million
Scott Proctor-1.1 Million
Mark Sweeney-0.6 Million
Current Total Uselessness-19.5 Million
Current Total Payroll-14.7 Million

So who’s to blame for this mess? Well if you look at the players attached to the salaries, the fault points directly at the GM. Most of those listed were either signed or acquired by Ned Colletti, and while I realize that injuries are partly due to luck, somebody has to take some responsiblity at some point, don’t they? The sad thing is, even if the entire roster was healthy, would it really make that big of a difference? Furcal and Kuroda have had good seasons, but the rest might arguably be worse than the lineup they are sending out there now.

And speaking of that lineup, what about the young guys? They’re supposed to be the future, right? Yes, yes they are, but fans have to be patient. Unfortunately, that’s not a quality that most fans possess. Most fans don’t really care about the team, all they want is quick justification for their fanhood™. As a result, they rally for major trades involving young players for proven veterans so that they can feel their team is trying to appease them, and so that they can get a playoff boner. God I hate those fans. But I digress, the thing to remember is that it’s not on the youth either. While the young guys haven’t stepped up as much as people have wanted, they have to realize that on most nights the Dodgers run out 5-7 starters that are of the age 25 or below. How much can you really expect from that team over the long run? It’s about time that people start lining up their expectations with the reality of the roster.

Point is, injuries or not, there’s just entirely too much dead weight. And while I understand that the overall payroll is cause for high expectations among fans, the fact is that the great majority of it is completely useless, either due to injury or lack of production. No matter what the payroll numbers may read, fans would be wise to remember that it’s not even close to the team the Dodgers are getting.

sara – Joe never seemed to like Matt from the beginning. I really don’t think he likes his attitude, and with him having a hard time in batting lately, it makes you wonder about him more than the others right now. I am in no terms saying I want him to go anywhere, but since spring training I just have a gut feeling that he and Joe aren’t on the best terms. The more I play the scenarios in my head, and trying to think like Joe ( i know impossible), it makes sense why Matt and Pierre both are playing everyday(with exception to the suspension). Maybe they are the ones being showcased and hoping somebody bites. Once again, I am not saying I want Matt traded, but it is a possible theory. After hearing that Russell and Andre were speaking at the team meeting the other day through an article I read, you could assume they are taking some sort of leadership role in the clubhouse. My theory is that Andre and Delwyn are the safe ones and Matt and Pierre are on the block. (and again, I don’t want Matt or Andre traded – Pierre fine, but that is no secret). Frankly, I have seen trade rumors involving both Andre and Matt so everything is speculation and some kind of guessing game. I guess we will never know until the trade deadline has come and gone, and hopefully all is well in Torreville, with our “young guns” intact.

great post Sara,
I think Frank nows that Ned is the problem but is afraid to do anything about it. Ned is his hand picked guinea pig and if he Fires Ned than he has to admit he doesn’t know S*#t about running a baseball team. Sometimes admitting when you are wrong is the hardest thing to do.

joey_rock – you can choose to believe whatever fiction you like, but the facts are these on J D Drew with the Dodgers:
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.399 OBP (yeah that’s not .400, it’s about a quarter of a hit short)
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.505 Slg% (OVER .500)
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On the DL ONCE – broken wrist from a pitch; stuff happens
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30 HR pace when injured in that first season
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the 20-HR season was with 100 RBI
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In the 20-HR season:
– the Dodgers made the playoffs
– Drew lead the team in OBP (by .026 over Furcal),
– was 2nd in slugging (by .007 to Nomar’s .505),
– 2nd in PLATE APPEARANCES and GAMES PLAYED (Furcal missed only 3 games),
– and tied for 1st in HR.
– One of those 20 homers was in that magical four in a row in the bottom of the ninth to tie (and eventually beat) the Padres (everyone remembers that game right?)

westermost, i have to agree. jd drew was by no means a fan favorite, i don’t think people hated him so much when he was here but rather when he left and the way he left us.. but there’s no denying he was effective when he was here.

Princess was someone everyone loved to hate because he was full of potential but had a pea brain and didn’t live up to expectations. There were a lot of times he seemed to dog it in right field. When he was on he was on though, I remember a game against the D’backs when his little brother hit one into right field and thought he could take 2nd (It was hit into the corner) but Princess came up with the ball and fired a strike to 2nd base to nail him. But then he played average at other times. I just don’t think he likes playing baseball.

I wouldn’t read too much into Marty and Ethier doing the talking and not Matt. Martin’s been the unofficial captain (at least of the young guys) and Ethier’s the “elder statesman” of the group. Not that Ned won’t trade Matt because afterall, he is if nothing else, stupid. JP’s just about as untradeable as a player can get, especially when you couple ability with contract, and then JoJo having heart palpitations whenever JP’s name gets mentioned. But Matt is in the end only 23, and any GM would be a complete fool to trade a guy like that that’s so close to his prime non FA years (however see earlier statement regarding Colletti, Ned.) Nothing will happen anyway until good ‘ol Pudgy-wudgy get’s back and they see if he has anything left to offer. Our luck, ‘Druw will have a good 2-3 weeks, they’ll trade someone, then he’ll go in the tank again so we’re left with nothing. (did that smack of cynisism??)

I can’t blame Drew for exercising the opt-out that was in his contract that was agreed-to by both sides. Which one of us wouldn’t take a 112% increase (the $33M left vs. the $70M he got) in guaranteed income?
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The man fans should be angry at is Scott Boras for being such a good agent that he can negotiate such a clause (opt-out AND no arbitration offer allowed – that meant no compensatory draft picks for LA) into the contract. Not sure what the Dodgers got in return in that negotiation, maybe slightly less $$ in the salary? smaller signing bonus (it was $2M)?

eric – what are you asking?
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enchanted – I’m not trying to read into anything, but I think it’s in the wiring once again – probably overanalyzing. I just want the “young guns” to stay intact. If that happens then I think our team will be okay.

Old Fogey you are right, I don’t blame Princess for leaving just for the way he did it. He said just prior to opting out that he had no intention of leaving the Dodgers. I am sure there was some behind the scenes talk between BorASS and the Redsox that led him to opt out. I don’t think he would have done it otherwise.

Enchanted, I didn’t see any cynisism at all!! 🙂

I will be the sarcastic one and you can be the one full of cynisism!! 🙂 LOL

I was in the car taking my son to get ready for his game and the Jon Miller and gang were talking about the DHing issue. I am not a big fan of them, but boy, were they having fun at the expense of the AL weinies. They went as far as to say, well if they pitchers don’t need to bat, then maybe the outfielders could have disignated throwers (thought of Pierre instantly), disignated runners for the slow boys, and they went on and on and on. I don’t think the AL realized what they did when they opened that can of worms.

speaking of boras, or mr.evil, or whatever he is commonly called.. i don’t know if any of you have ever met the man, or heard him speak.. but he can convince you of anything. he is very smart, charismatic, etc. he spoke in one of my classes about his job, baseball, etc. and even though i hate him, i couldn’t help but respect how hard he works.. it’s no wonder that he’s been able to dupe GMs all these years, although things have changed a bit lately..

The last time the dodgers made the playoffs they had a legit 100 rbi guy who could get on base at a 400 clip…it’s just that no one apprteciated him. Ned of course replaced the 100 rbi part, so he thought with a guy who had one good half of baseball since 2003 and even at his best never came close to a .400 OBP. That .400 OBP tells me that even if the hitter is struggling or being pitched around he can impact a line up. Nomar can only when he actually hits. It’s those kinds of choices and the excuse making and crying not fair they took my ball and went home is why i hate coletti.

I think I started looking sideways at Drew after the first interview he gave once he signed with us. A reporter asked about all the games he missed and I remember him saying that he doesn’t play unless he’s 100% healthy. Yeah? Another Mike Marshall. (Not the pitcher)

good thinking jnv – lol!!. However, westernmost (formerly known as old fogey) sure has had a lot of data to share lately – hmmmmm!!!
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enchanted and jhall probably couldn’t resist putting their letter into song. I would think the same thing of eric too, but he wrote a letter a couple of days ago, and it was very good, so it’s not a bad guess, even though he is not on the list. hmmmmm!!

Newsflash:
LA Dodgers to get their own star on Hollywood’l World Famous Walk of Fame

Reaction(s):
1 – Richly deserved and long overdue
2 – Look for Arte Moreno trying to get his face into the press release photos holding a cardboard sign that says, “…and the Angels too”
3 – Is it a star or a black hole?

So I looked at the Dodger Thoughts archive and found Jon Weisman’s post on J.D. Drew right after he announced the opt-out. I found these two comments, made just over one hour after the announcement, tragically comic:
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13. Benaiah 2006-11-09 18:14:05
10 – I think that we are going to sing a different tune. There is no free agent replacement for Drew at that price, and while this could be good for either Kemp or Ethier I don’t think it is good for the Dodgers. I am skeptical that Ned will sign an OBP guy to replace Drew and that was the strength of our offense last year. I think we should use Ethier and Kemp in the corner outfield spots and go for a CF and a 3B.
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All I can say is: Not Juan Pierre in CF.
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and………………..
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19. GoBears 2006-11-09 18:19:15
…
There’s no way Colletti’s doing better in the FA market for OFers, (please, no Luis Gonzales), and I even doubt that the $11M (or a little more) could be better spent at another position than on Drew. If I had to choose straight up between Drew and Schmidt/Zito, I’d take the guy who plays every day. Yes, the team seems to NEED pitching more than hitting, but really, all it needs to do is outscore the opposition, whether it’s 7-6 or 2-1.

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